After more than a decade hiatus, people from the area can again skate at the park, on a portable ice rink set to open to the public on Friday.

Skating on the pond at the park had long been a winter weekend pastime for families. But skating was banned about 10 years ago, when the city used a state grant to renovate and preserve the pond in its natural state.

"Everyone used to skate," said Millie Godfrey, 83, who remembers skating at Rogers Park in the late 1940s. "I think its a wonderful idea to bring skating back to the park. It will probably be very popular."

City Recreation Director Nick Kaplanis said people have been asking him for years to return skating to the park.

Two years ago, Kaplanis' department purchased the skating rink at a cost of about $8,000, but the 2011-12 winter season was so mild that the city didn't get the opportunity to use the new equipment last year.

"When I was a kid, we always had outdoor skating at the park," Kaplanis said. "When I saw that they make these portable rink I decided to give it shot."

The rink, he said, will be available for free to area residents, depending on the weather conditions, starting Friday at 3 p.m. The rink will remain open throughout the weekend, he said.

Kaplanis said people will have to bring their own skates. And he said that while there will be some supervision provided, residents using the rink are being asked to treat the equipment with respect.

"There are going to be some rules," Kaplanis said, including no hockey, sleds bikes or pets permitted on the ice. "We want people to be safe and not damage the rink."